


Sink

by OzQueen



Series: CP 100 situations [7]
Category: Captain Planet and the Planeteers
Genre: 100 situations, Comfort, Drowning, F/M, Gen, Late Night Conversations, Nightmares, One Shot
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2010-12-15
Updated: 2010-12-15
Packaged: 2017-10-13 16:37:35
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,857
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/139392
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/OzQueen/pseuds/OzQueen
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The possibility of losing Gi prompts Kwame to think about the connection between them.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Sink

**Author's Note:**

> Though it may not seem it at first, this is pretty fluffy. Rated highly for slight mentions of violent themes at the beginning.

  


  


xXx

Gi appeared to be the bravest of them all – which was ironic, considering the position she was in. She glared furiously at Greedly as he snorted and laughed, confident in the advantage he now held over the Planeteers.

Kwame tightened his fists and spoke, his voice sounding too loud and too slow. "Let her go."

"Are you sure you want me to do that?" Greedly grinned and shook Gi a little. Fear showed on her face for a brief moment as she looked down over the edge of the bridge to the water below. The chain around her ankle rattled.

"I need four more rings to make a set complete," Greedly said, his voice rumbling and deep. He held his hand out and Gi's ring glittered in his palm. "Hand 'em over, Planeteers, or else..." He trailed off and dug his meaty fingers into Gi's shoulder again, giving her another shake. She staggered with the force of it and Linka gave a small cry, believing she'd soon be witness to her friend toppling towards the water, the weight of limestone chained to her leg dooming her straight to the ocean floor.

The Wind Planeteer immediately slipped her ring off her finger and held it out towards Greedly. "Here," she said. Her voice sounded weak and quivery.

Kwame nodded and slipped his ring off too. His mouth was dry. He kept his eyes on Gi and his heart lifted slightly as she gave him a small smile.

Greedly's laughter roared from him, and his belly shook as he collected both Linka's ring and Kwame's, keeping a firm grip on Gi's shoulder and a heavy boot against the block of limestone at the edge of the bridge.

Ma-Ti hurriedly handed his ring over, feeling ill. He tried to give Gi a brave smile, but it was too difficult. He knew that one shove from Greedly's boot would send the stone over the edge, and Gi down with it.

Wheeler glared as he held his ring out. "Get away from her."

"Hand it over, punk," Greedly snarled. "I'm in charge."

"Get _away_ from her," Wheeler snapped back.

Greedly sneered and beckoned for the Fire Planeteer's ring.

Wheeler glared at him and dropped the ring into his outstretched palm.

"Now get back, all of you!" Greedly shouted, shaking Gi again. "Get back!"

"We gave you what you wanted!" Linka cried. She looked pale, and tears ran down her face. "Unchain her."

Greedly sneered and gave the limestone block a shove with his boot.

"Gi!" Kwame felt his stomach drop as everything unfolded in front of him in slow motion. The stone scraped over the edge, the chain went tight, and Gi screamed in pain and fright as the weight of it all pulled her down. Kwame could still hear the rattle of the chain and what he thought was the sound of Gi's leg breaking as the weight wrenched it outwards.

He heard Linka scream, and Wheeler grabbed her, keeping her upright and stopping her from following Gi in a vain attempt to rescue her from the depths of the lapping water below.

But nobody grabbed Kwame, and before he could even think about it, he'd taken three flying footsteps before he'd launched himself over the edge of the bridge. Below, the water was dark, but he could see the white froth of Gi's entry. He plunged into it headfirst and kicked downwards, the water icy and suffocating around him. It gripped him around the chest and reminded him that he had such precious little oxygen and time. It reminded him that his efforts would be in vain.

He kicked down again, feeling the weight of his clothes and the horrible lead of his muscles. His eyes searched the dark water and for a moment he thought he saw her, pale and frightened and being dragged down, down, down to the bottom, where she would no doubt drift and drown, the limestone anchor holding her firmly to the sandy floor.

xXx

Kwame sat up with a gasp, sweat drenching his body and his bed. His chest rose and fell in panic and he kicked the sheets back and staggered to his bedroom door, throwing it open and racing into the night with barely a thought in his mind. He ran along the shadow-striped path, his feet pounding the bare earth.

He threw his shoulder against Gi's door, too impatient to work the handle. It flew open and slammed heavily against the wall. He saw her shadowy figure bolt upright, her dark hair tousled about her face.

"What?" she asked, sounding panicked. "What's wrong?"

He crossed the room and touched her – one hand on her shoulder, the other cupping the side of her face and gently tilting her head back so he could run his eyes over her and note her bright eyes and softly-parted mouth. Alive.

He sank onto the edge of the bed, too relieved to feel stupid. "It was just a dream," he breathed tiredly.

"You had a nightmare?" She was still frozen into the position he'd arranged her into, and her heart was racing from being woken so suddenly.

Kwame rested his elbows on his knees and rubbed his hands over his face, slumped in relief. "It was horrible," he said after a moment. He seemed to wake up, then, and he looked over at her, giving her a small, embarrassed smile. "Sorry I woke you," he whispered.

She laughed and shook her head, kicking her sheets away to sit closer to him. "It's okay. Are you all right?"

He nodded and stared down at the floor, the icy weight of the nightmare still clinging to his skin.

"What was the dream about?" She tilted her head and looked at him curiously, watching the smooth expanse of his back rise and fall as he breathed.

He sighed and rubbed his hands over his face again, keeping the heels of his hands pressed against his eyes. "You died. You drowned."

Gi looped her arm through his and rested her cheek against his shoulder. "It wasn't real," she reminded him. "I'm fine."

"Greedly had you tied to an anchor," he continued. "You sank down and I..." He drew a shaky breath and then gave a soft laugh. "It was just a dream."

Gi felt her stomach quiver. She wriggled closer to him and hugged his arm, tilting her head up to him. "Want to talk about it?"

He breathed out, slowly, and shook his head, giving her a small, embarrassed smile. "Sorry I woke you," he said again. "I panicked."

She laughed and rested her head back against his arm. "It's okay."

They sat there in silence for a while, listening to the waves foaming and smashing on the shore. They sounded violent and heavy, but it was a familiar sound and they both listened and grew drowsy again.

"I should go back to bed," Kwame said, shifting his eyes to Gi's bedroom door, which was still open. It hung a little crookedly on its hinges.

"I'm not tired anymore," Gi protested in an obvious lie, slumped against him and comfortable.

He chuckled and shook his head. "I feel like never sleeping again."

Gi gave a small smile. "It was just a dream, Kwame. I'm fine."

"I know." He pulled away from her slightly to look down at her, and his thumb came up to brush against her cheek, which was still slightly-flushed with sleep and the warm air of the night. "You sank down so far," he whispered. "I went after you but I could not reach you. I knew you were at the bottom..."

She shuddered despite herself, and hugged his arm again, pressing her cheek firmly against the smooth bicep of his upper arm.

He watched her, his stomach still roiling and his chest still tight. Somehow he felt as though he were still kicking his way down through icy depths, unable to breathe or see anything but her face. In his dream, his final glimpse of her had shown her terrified and ghostly. Now she looked sleepy and comfortable, her short dark hair lightly-tousled and gleaming in the gentle moonlight that spilled through the open doorway.

The thought of losing _any_ of his Planeteers caused an uncomfortable pain to tighten around his heart. The thought of losing _her_ sent him cold and sent fear creeping through his bones. Even the mere possibility of loss caused his throat to constrict.

She was a constant, a light, a sigh of air. Something he took for granted. She was bound to him in a way he had never thought about – she just was. That was enough.

She looked up at him again and saw him watching her. She gave him a sleepy smile. "Okay?"

He nodded and reached up again, tracing his thumb over the smooth curve of her cheek, his fingers sliding into her glossy hair to tuck it back behind her ear. His heart had stilled its terrified hammering and was slow and calm again. She was alive and safe. His relief was unrivalled and he found himself frowning as he tried to decipher the sudden complicated thoughts tumbling through his brain.

"It was just a dream," she whispered, her eyes deep and dark. She was watching him carefully, her eyes slightly-veiled, as though he hadn't completely torn her from sleep and she was still watching him from behind the curtain of shallow dreams.

He nodded and bent forward to press a soft kiss against her forehead. Her hand spread over his shoulder slowly and she tilted her head up to look at him again, a small smile on her face. He leaned forward and kissed the corner of her mouth, touching the edge of her smile with his lips.

She smiled again and leaned into him, pressing a soft, full kiss against him, her fingers sliding over the warm skin at the back of his neck.

He rested his forehead against hers for a moment, breathing with her and listening to the ocean outside, pulling and roaring at the shore. "I should let you sleep," he murmured. He shifted slightly, edging away from her with the intent of leaving so she could fall back into bed and return to slumber. The tie that bound her to him was still bold and alive, and now that he had drawn it tight again, he realised how late it was and how violently and unfairly he had pulled her from sleep.

"No, stay," Gi whispered, tugging at his hand and urging him back to her mattress. She smiled shyly at him and wriggled over to make room for him. "It'll keep the nightmares away."

He smiled at her and stretched out beside her, clasping her small hand in his and listening to her breathing. She rested her head against his shoulder and he felt himself relaxing as the soft warmth of her body pressed against him. He carefully wrapped one arm around her, intent on protecting her from his own nightmares, and allowed himself to relax against her.

They both sank contentedly into her mattress; into sleep.

xXx

  



End file.
